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Are you thinking about putting together a new PC? Check out our handy guide to help get started. In other news, some Lenovo PCs have been found shipping with factory-installed adware, Sony could scrap its mobile business and a new lawsuit filed against Apple alleges that the company poached a number of engineers for an electric car battery project. All that and more can be found just past the break.

Did you hear that Apple might be working on a car, or at least something that heavily involves cars? It's reportedly already got quite a team working away at the project. But, those employees had to come from somewhere, right? According to a lawsuit from electric car battery maker A123 Systems, Apple has been poaching its best engineers, apparently to work in a battery division of its own. The company alleges poaching started back in June 2014, with Apple drawing away lead engineers from the battery maker's "most critical projects." According to the filing from Massachusetts federal court: "Apple is currently developing a large-scale battery division to compete in the very same field as A123."

Here's something different: disposable batteries that could help reduce the mountains of e-waste that people create every day. Energizer has unveiled EcoAdvanced, the first high-performance alkaline battery to be made partly from recycled cells. About 4 percent of the new power pack comes from old batteries turned into an "active ingredient" (Energizer is keeping this hush-hush), giving you a long-lasting energy source without having to lean quite so much on fresh material.

If you want your smartphone to last longer without carrying flammable gas in your pocket, there may possibly, conceivably be new battery tech coming soon (maybe). Yep, we're skeptical after many a disappointing "breakthrough," but an MIT spinoff company called SolidEnergy claims it has developed a new type of lithium-ion battery that can store more energy and still survive hundreds of charging cycles. It resorted to a method that's been tried before: replacing the usual graphite electrodes with lithium metal. Previous attempts failed, however, because such electrodes react with the battery's electrolyte, forming "dendrites" that cause tiny problems like explosions.

​At CES -- the world's largest tech show -- the intrepid reporter faces many challenges. Most of them involve sleep (lack of), nutrition (lack of), human beings (abundance of) and coffee (usually lack of, but often, taste of). As such, it's very important that you don't go and add to that list of problems with some form of self-sabotage: the wrong cables, poor coffee choices, no backup power and, crucially, a P.O.S. bag. You and your bag are going to become close friends over the week, so it pays to get one that'll do the job, with a minimum of fuss.%Gallery-slideshow262948%

Scientists have spent a lot of time trying to lengthen battery life, but safety and thickness matter, too. Just ask Boeing about that first problem -- its 787 Dreamliner was grounded for months thanks to battery fires. However, a group of University of Michigan researchers may have found a way to make lithium-ion energy packs that are safer and slimmer at the same time. The team has developed Kevlar-based, nano-sized membranes that insulate the electrodes in a battery while still allowing lithium ions to pass through and create a proper circuit. The extra-thin layers should not only reduce the chances of short circuiting, but allow for more energy in a given space. You could get away with thinner batteries in smartwatches and other devices without giving up battery life... or worrying that your device will spontaneously combust, for that matter.

The deep frying process isn't just useful for livening up your food -- it might also be the ticket to better batteries in your mobile devices. South Korean researchers have created highly conductive, stable electrode materials by spraying graphene oxide droplets into a very hot blend of acid and organic solvent, much like you'd dip chicken into oil. The resulting "pom-poms" (what you see above) aren't at all tasty, but their open 3D structure makes them far better for transferring electrical charges than plain graphene.

Leoht's "tech" handbag is one of those things you won't necessarily need, but may really (really) want. As you might have guessed, it's a purse for modern times. The bag's simple, black leather exterior is stylish, but it's what's on the inside that's interesting. The tote hides a built-in (6,000 or 10,000mAh) battery in the base for charging your gadgets on the fly, plus some interior lights to help you find whatever you're searching for faster. Oh, and a secret compartment for any extra-special cargo you may have. %Gallery-slideshow258544%

We lamented the iPhone 6's battery in our review, but the folks at ibattz have a solution for when Apple's handset loses juice when you need it most. The company says its ASAP Charger's 20-volt, two-amp power pack can fully charge an iPhone 6 within 15 minutes. Think about it this way: That's less time than it'd take to watch an episode of 30 Rock on Netflix. Your typical five-volt, one-amp charger, on the other hand, needs an hour or more to do the same task. The ASAP comes in 5,600mAh and 11,200mAh sizes, but, sadly, the company hasn't said anything yet about pricing or availability. Blerg, indeed.%Gallery-slideshow256483%

Docks, external hard drives and other laptop add-ons are supposed to make your life easier, but they can be a hassle if you have to carry more than one. Just ask any traveler unpacking a mess of boxes and wires if you need proof. Lenovo wants to get rid of this clutter as much as you do, so it's launching a rather oddball accessory system, the ThinkPad Stack, to simplify things a bit. The modular, magnetic design lets you pile peripherals on top of each other (complete with shared data and power) to save space and eliminate cabling -- think of it as a Voltron for road warriors. As quirky as that sounds, it makes sense in real-life situations. If you need both a wireless hotspot and a battery pack on your big business trip, for instance, you won't have to lug around two sets of cables to keep them powered up.

The race to CES continues, and today we're saying hello to the 2015 generation of LG's Music Flow WiFi speakers. Last seen at the IFA trade show in Europe, the big addition this time around is its first battery-powered model, the H4. While Bluetooth speakers are a dime-a-dozen, LG claims that its approach -- linking the speakers via WiFi -- means users can keep streaming music from their phone, even when a call comes in, for example, or stream directly from any supported services. Sonos gained a direct WiFi link with its upgrade a few months ago, but this Music Flow setup (and related control app for Android or iOS) has been in the works from LG for a while. There are three other WiFi speakers and upgraded WiFi soundbars coming to the show in Las Vegas too, and hopefully when we see them there will be price tags attached.%Gallery-slideshow254353%

Don't be too quick to toss out the battery from that ancient laptop -- it might just be the key to powering homes in developing countries, and helping the environment in the process. IBM researchers have revealed UrJar, a device that turns old lithium-ion battery packs into rechargeable energy sources for low-power devices like LED light bulbs, fans and cellphones. To create the gadget, the team extracts functioning lithium-ion cells from a trashed battery and combines them with both charging dongles and safety circuitry. It sounds simple, but it's potentially very effective. According to IBM, roughly 70 percent of all discarded batteries can provide at least four hours of LED lighting every day for a year. That's enough to offer extra safety to homes in areas with little to no reliable electricity, or to keep a street vendor in business after sunset.

Curious about what the official word regarding the Boeing Dreamliner's faulty battery is? Of course you are. The National Transportation Safety Board says that the reason for the non-fatal fire was due to "deficiencies in the design and certification process," and has a few fingers to point. The board says that Boeing itself is at fault, calling its safety assessments of the lithium-ion units insufficient. Yuasa, the battery manufacturer, isn't free from blame either. As The Wall Street Journal notes, Yuasa's production process apparently allowed for defects that could cause short-circuiting in the battery's internal cells, and the final battery design was actually different than the one tested and certified. The NTSB goes on to call out the Federal Aviation Administration for its lack of oversight regarding the outsourcing of components in the Dreamliner as well.

So long as you still need physical ID cards and cash, you'll need something to carry them -- but that doesn't mean that you're stuck with a low-tech purse or wallet. StreetSmart is crowdfunding the SmartWallet, a money holder with both a Bluetooth-connected GPS locator and a 1,000mAh battery to charge your phone. It's not nearly as world-changing as the company's (rather hyperbolic) promo video suggests, but it's potentially handy if you tend to forget your cash or phone when you head out the door. Leave the wallet behind and you'll get a heads-up through an Android or iOS app that will help you find it, including directions within 50 to 150 feet; lose your phone and a button on the wallet will make your mobile device ring.

Fuel cells may be a practical reality, but there aren't many choices for the fuel itself -- you usually have to rely on hydrogen, which dictates where and how those cells work. The University of Utah may have a clever alternative in store, however. Its researchers have developed a cell that runs on JP-8, a jet fuel used by American warplanes in harsh climates. The cell uses enzymes to turn propellant into electricity without requiring lots of heat or a perfectly clean mixture; it works at room temperatures even when there's sulfur in the mix, making it far more useful than previous attempts at JP-8 cells.

Fast-charging batteries are all nice and good, but the lifespan matters, too -- why should you have to replace power packs (or entire devices) every couple of years ? You may not have to give up performance or longevity if researchers at Nanyang Technology University have their way. They've developed new lithium ion batteries that can reach a 70 percent charge in two minutes, but should also last for over 20 years -- several times longer than the cells in your current laptop or smartphone. The trick is using titanium dioxide nanotubes for the anode (the negative pole) instead of graphite; they both speed up the battery's chemical reactions while offering 10,000 charging cycles instead of the usual 500.

One of the biggest challenges of switching to clean energy sources is finding a place to store excess power. That's relatively easy on a small scale, but it's much more daunting for your utility company. Southern California Edison is apparently ready to take on that challenge, however. It just launched the Tehachapi Energy Storage Project, a large-scale experiment in using lithium-ion batteries (608,832 of them, to be exact) to preserve unused electricity. For the next two years, the 32 megawatt-hours array will scoop up leftover energy from nearby sources, including a wind turbine area; SCE will be watching closely to see how the lithium-ion packs improve its grid's real world performance.

Need something to make today's wait for your new iPhone easier? Watching the crew at iFixit go at a brand new iPhone 6 Plus with their screwdrivers, spudgers and iSclacks probably won't help, but at least it will pass the time. They're in the middle of pulling Apple's XL-sized phone apart, and while there's not a lot new to report (it's a phone, and it has 1GB of RAM) the pics are always entertaining. The 6 Plus' 5.5-inch display also leaves room for a larger battery, and now we know that it's a 2915 mAh unit. That's about twice the size of the one in the iPhone 5s, slightly bigger than the battery in the Galaxy S 5, but smaller than the swappable 3,220mAh unit slotted inside the 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 4.

Several states have been in the running for a multi-billion dollar facility Tesla Motors has envisioned to build components for its electric cars (including the $35,000 Model 3), but it appears Nevada is the one. CNBC sources indicated a deal was close earlier today, and now Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval has timed a "major announcement" for tomorrow at 7PM ET. Other sources like Bloomberg claim CEO Elon Musk and other Tesla representatives will be at the event, and also mention that there could be more factories to follow. A joint operation with Panasonic, the 'Gigafactory' is key to Tesla's strategy to lower the price of EVs in the future by working on different parts for the batteries (raw materials, cells, modules and battery pack enclosures) all in one place. Naturally, the prospect of some 6,500 or so new jobs have had southwestern states ideal for its renewable energy plans fighting over the right to play host.

It's hardly uncommon for smartphone batteries to lose some of their oomph over time, but Apple just might be able to help if your iPhone 5's battery has been flakier than usual. The folks in Cupertino have figured out that some of the iPhone 5s sold between its launch in September 2012 and January 2013 have batteries that may "suddenly experience shorter battery life or need to be charged more frequently" and has kicked off a program to replace them free of charge. Mosey on over to Apple's support page to see if your iPhone 5 is one of the affected units -- if it is and you live in the United States or China, you can reach out and claim your replacement battery right now. What's that you say? You're one of those proactive types and already shelled out money for a replacement? Reach out anyway, because Apple may have a refund waiting for you. Alas, the rest of the world will have to wait just a little bit longer -- Apple plans to launch the program in other countries on August 29th.

Here's a horror story everyone can relate to: You download a cool new app or an OS update, only to find that it eats through the phone's battery relentlessly, frequently leaving you with nothing but a tiny sliver of red on the gauge. While some aim to solve this issue by developing a new breed of batteries, a California startup called Qnovo and Qualcomm are each working on charging technologies instead. Qnovo, for one, has developed software that can analyze a battery's temperature and the voltage passing through it, as well as determine your charging habits.

Forget lab-made materials like graphene -- natural, old-fashioned hemp may be the ticket to our energy future. Researchers have demonstrated that you can make very efficient carbon electrodes simply by heating hemp bast fibers in a two-stage process. The resulting substance holds as much energy as graphene, but is much cheaper to make. You're just using biological leftovers, after all. It's much more tolerant of temperature extremes, too, and can survive anything from freezing conditions to a scorching 200F. And before you ask -- this is hemp, not pot, so you're not going to get a contact high just by using a battery.

What if running a 5K could do more than just burn calories? A team at the University of California San Diego have developed a temporary tattoo-like sensor that keeps tabs on exercise and converts sweat into electricity. The removable device monitors lactate: a substance that's present in perspiration and increases with more strenuous the activity. Athletes and some medical patients need to keep an eye on lactate levels for a range of reasons, but testing currently involves an invasive blood test during an exercise session. Here, an enzyme on the sensor collects electrons from lactate, and in turn, generates a modest electric current. What's more, the researchers turned those findings into a biobattery that's powered by the collected charge. The most energy produced by one person during the test was 70 microWatts per square centimeter of skin, but work is already underway to boost the system so that if can be used to power small gadgets like watches and heart-rate sensors.

If you're tired of lugging around both an external battery pack and a power adapter to keep your iPhone running, today's your lucky day. Nomad (the company behind the ChargeCard) has started taking pre-orders for the NomadPlus, a 1,500mAh external battery that takes advantage of the Apple's official power plug to save space. Slide the charger in and you can top up your iPhone (or other low-power USB devices) with one peripheral, whether or not you're anywhere near a wall outlet. Logically, it will also recharge its own battery when plugged in. The gadget doesn't provide much energy on its own -- it will only bring an iPhone up to 70 percent -- but it should be enough to get you through a typical day.

The lithium ion batteries in your mobile devices are inherently limited by the "ion" part of their name; they can safely use lithium only in the part of the cell that supplies ions, wasting a lot of potential energy. It's good news, then, that researchers at Stanford have developed a new lithium battery that could last for much, much longer. The technique allows for denser, more efficient lithium in the battery's anode (which discharges electrons) by using a nanoscopic carbon shield that keeps the unstable chemical in check -- uncontrolled, it can quickly shorten the device's lifespan.